Today is the first day of Chittirai month in Tamil Calendar, considered an auspicious day. The above verse detailing the celebration during the month of Chittirai is from the epic Silappathikaaram, written in 2nd Century AD.

Women get together and offer steamed lentil snacks, sesame seed balls, rice mixed with meat, flowers and incense and Pongal (interpreting it as rice cooked in front of the temple, I have used freshly cooked rice) to the Protecting deity (காவல் பூதம்) at a grove in between two parts (Maruvoorp Paakkam and Pattinap Paakkam) of the town of Kaveri Poompattinam. The young women are in a trance as the Goddess enters them (அணங்கு ஏறி ஆடுதல்) and dance traditional folk dances of Thunangai and Kuravai. Old women from their clan prays to the deity and proclaims may this great land ruled by our ruler amidst two kingdoms, may hunger, disease and enmity leave; may rains and wealth springforth”

The prayer ritual is almost the same as it is practiced in Tamil Nadu today. Most of the Tamil words in the above lines are still in use today. I never tire to repeat the saying “Glory of Tamil language is not in its antiquity, but its continuity” (தமிழின் மேன்மை அதன் தொன்மையில் இல்லை, தொடர்ச்சியில் உள்ளது)

Fish shaped eyes, bow shaped eyebrows, dark cloud tresses,making men ache, her flawless face is a moon, you see!A moon, you see – that lives in fishermen’s hamlet, afraid of being gobbled by the snake* in the sky!

Afraid of the conch’s roar, her reddened spear like eyes swing this way and that – she’s death, you see!Death, you see – that lives as a tender lassin this village by the sea.Chasing away birds that steal dried fish,causing distress to onlookers – she’s a misery you see!A misery, you see – in the form of a plaited girlin this flower adorned backwaters.

* Lunar Nodes – Rahu and Ketu are personified as snakes in Hindu mythology. Eclipse is explained as snakes swallowing the Sun and the Moon.

This is from the greatest Tamil epic Silappathikaaram. Silappathikaaram is dated to 2nd Century CE. It’s themes and characters are part of public discourse in Tamil Nadu. These three verses are sung by Kovalan when he visits the beach with his courtesan, Madhavi. These verses cause them to bicker with each other and makes him leave her to go back to his wife Kannaki.

During Indira Vizha (festival of Indra), Kovalan and Madhavi go to the beach at Kaveri Poompattinam (current day Poompuhar). River Cauvery joins the sea here. He takes the harp and starts singing. These three poems are him singing in praise of an imaginary girl at the beach. Madhavi thinks that he is in love with another girl and has a tiff with him.

First verse – Her eyes are fish shaped, brow is like a curved bow and tresses are dark like clouds. Her face makes men yearn for her. Her face is a moon, that now lives in the fisherman’s hamlet because it was afraid of snakes in the sky swallowing it. The Lunar Nodes are personified as snakes (Rahu and Ketu) in Hindu mythology. Solar and Lunar eclipses were explained as Rahu and Ketu swallowing the Sun and the moon. So Kovalan says this girl’s face is like a moon. But why did the moon come down to earth. It must have been to escape the snakes.

Second verse – The sea is throwing up conch shells which roar with noise of the sea. Hearing that she is afraid and her eyes swing either way. Her eyes are reddened. Those red eyes look like blood stained spears that take the life of him. He says her eyes are the weapons with which she kills him. She is death incarnate living like a soft spoken tender girl in this sea side village.

Third verse – She is chasing away birds that come to steal dried fish that are white in color. Seeing her move about causes distress to him. She is misery incarnate in the form of a girl wearing plaits in the backwaters which are full of flowers.

One who jumps in unafraid of the furious black bull, him does this fragrant flower tressed girl covet; To him who tames the crimson foreheaded bull, do arms of this golden bangled girl belong;To him who rides the strong young bull,does this jasmine tressed girl belong;To him who tames the spotted white bull,do arms of this slender girl belong;To him who tames the freckled white bull, does soft bosom of this slim girl belong;To him who tames the triumphant young bull, does this yellow flowered tressed girl belong;To him who tames the pristine white bull, does this dark and dusky beauty belong.

Bull taming (or) Jalli Kattu is one of the centuries old tradition of Tamils who lived in pastoral tracts. It was called Eru thaluvudhal, literally hugging the bull, in Sangam era. Taming a bull was a mark of bravery and women were enamored with successful bull tamers. It was a dangerous sport for the participants as being gored by the bull was regular occurrence. Unlike Spanish bull fights where the bulls are killed, here the emphasis is only on controlling the bulls.

These lines are just one of the literary evidences that talk about Eru thaluvudhal 2000 years ago. There are 7 long poems in Kaliththokai, which is earlier than Silappathikaaram, listing in detail the ritualistic bull taming.

This poem is in the Aichiar Kuravai section of the 2nd Century epic Silappathikaaram. The protagonists of the epic, Kovalan and Kannaki leave their native town of Kaveri Poom pattinam in Chola country and come to Madurai, the capital of Pandya country. Kovalan leaves Kannaki with the pastoral people in the outskirts of Madurai and goes to the city to sell Kannaki’s anklet and make money. He is wrongly accused of stealing the Queen’s anklet and is killed.

The pastoral women see bad omens in their settlement. The elder among them, Madhari, says let us sing and dance the Kuravai, which was originally sung by Nappinnai along with Lord Krishna in his youth. Seven young women hold hands together and dance around singing the praise of Krishna.

Your elders live by entering the ocean and killing life;
you too live by entering a human body and killing my life;
heavy are your breasts, pushing against their confines;
let them rest against me, lest you lose your slender waist.

This poem is from SilapPathikaram, the earliest and greatest epic in Tamil literature. The epic is dated to 2nd Century CE. It describes the Tamil society of that era in detail.

This poem is sung by the protagonist, Kovalan when he visits the beach with the courtesan Madhavi. He sings of an imaginary fisherwoman. Madhavi is piqued and in return she sings about River Kaveri as a woman pining for her lord. This creates a rift between Kovalan and Madhavi and leads to their separation.

“You are from the fishing community. Your father and your brothers enter the ocean to kill fish and live by that. Similarly you have entered a human form and kill my life and live by that. Your breasts are heavy and struggle to be contained in their confines. So don’t lose your slender waist unable to carry the burden of your breasts. Rest them against me”

Rest them against me is implied and not explicit in the original. I have included it in the translation for better comprehension.

These lines are from the foreword of Tamil epic Silappathikaaram. Mount Meru is the mythical sacred mountain of Hindus, Buddhists and Jains, considered to be the center of the Universe. bit.ly/1sqA0AN.

The Sun is the source of energy for life in this world. The Rulers of Cauvery (Cholas) are like the sun, enriching this life. It can also mean that Chola Royal Signet rules the whole world, like the Sun does..

This is one of the more popular poems of the epic Silappathikaaram. Even the Tamils who haven’t read Silappathikaram would have heard the first two lines.

This is Kovalan praising his wife Kannaki on their first night. Five things he calls her are equated to five senses. Gold (sight), Pearl (touch), Incense (smell), Sugar cane (taste), Honey dripping voice (hearing). More romantic of the commentary writers expand it as “He calls her blemishless gold. She smiles a little, opening her mouth. Her teeth are like pearls. As he comes near her she smells divine. He kisses her and tastes her sweetness. She sheds her inhibition and starts talking. Her voice is like honey”

Kovalan and Kannaki are from the merchant caste. Her father MaaSaathuvan was the leading merchant of Pukar (Poompuhar) town. Kovalan praises her family and then goes on to extol her virtues. “You are like a rare ruby, but you weren’t born in the mountains. You are like the hard to get nectar, but you weren’t born in the ocean (remember the nectar Devas and Asuras found by churning the ocean). You are like melodious music, but you were not born in the harp”

In the first line the literal translation for pearl is வலம்புரி முத்தே – pearl found in the right hand conch. The right hand conch (சங்கு) is rare to find and the pearl formed in it is of better quality. I have used ‘pristine’ instead of unwieldy ‘right hand conch’. In the second line the word விரை (virai) is given in Tamil dictionary as an aromatic substance made of five ingredients. I have used ‘incense’ for easy reading. In the last four lines I have slightly altered the structure for better readability in English.

Like God of love’s massive army
is her* ire; facing her, calming her
and after getting her sandal paste all over him,
the broad shouldered husband enters his house
with a guest, to the chaste woman
he’s wedded to and living with.
‘Dark eyes in her bright face,
that shame blue water lily petals,
are red and do not cool down despite the guest.
Does this universe have anything to soothe her?’
he shivers helplessly

Line no 224-234 of IndiraVizhavu chapter of Pukaar Kaandam in Silapathikaaram. This chapter details the Festival of Indira in Poompukar town. A man goes to a courtesan’s house. She is angry with him, her anger is huge like the God of Love’s army. He pacifies her with sweet words, makes love to her and leaves. Her sandal paste marks are all over his body. He goes to his home and on the way picks up a guest so that his wife won’t show her anger in front of a guest. However the wife sees the marks on his body and her eyes redden. Even the presence of a guest doesn’t lessen her anger. The man is helpless as his tactic hasn’t worked.He wonders whether this universe has any potion to soothe her, while shivering in front of her.

This is from Silappathikaram,the pre eminent epic of Tamil literature. This poem is part of advice given by the minister to angry Chera King Senguttuvan. Line no. 165-168 in Nadukal Kaathai, chapter in Silappathikaaram, Vanji Kaandam.

A soul is not the same in different births. Depending on good or bad done in previous birth, its fate changes in next birth. This is similar to actors playing various roles on stage. Though the actor is same, the roles he play differs.